Lo-Fi Photo Fun by Adam Bronkhorst • contains 175 pages • published September 1, 2012 by Chronicle Books • classified as Photography • obtained through library • read as paperback • shelve on Goodreads Synopsis:
The camera revolution has begun! This hip how-to volume will help lo-fi photographers take their shooting to the next level, be it with Polaroid, Diana, Holga, pinhole camera, or many more beloved analog favorites. In 35 fun and imaginative projects, users will learn dozens of unexpected and beautiful techniques, from cross-, push-, and hand-processing to experimenting with film speeds and film types, bleeding images, and using multiple exposures and lenses. Illustrated with striking shots from lo-fi aficionados and organized by technique, this easy-to-follow guide—with simple step-by-step instructions and handy tips on camera quirks—will inspire plastic camera pros and enthusiastic beginners to point and shoot in a whole new way.
First and foremost Lo-Fi Photo Fun is about getting creative with film photography. While Brinkhorst did state in the introduction that many techniques can be applied to digital photography as well, most of these results would have to be achieved in post-processing or through digital photo manipulation.
Getting into Lo-Fi Photo Fun
There are a variety of projects covered in Lo-Fi Photo Fun, encompassing different cameras and film development techniques. Since I’ve never tried film lomography or toyed around with plastic cameras, I was surprised by more than a few results that can be achieved with film photography. Some of these I used to think were over the top digital manipulations but nope, turns out even in film the sky’s the limit.
Presentation of Materials
The information is very well laid out with ample example images for each type of project. I especially enjoyed the section on adapted cameras, where parts from different cameras were put together to build new and unique cameras that have very quirky results. Reading Lo-Fi Photo Fun cover-to-cover will feel a little repetitive though because the layout has also been adapted to readers who want to use it as reference material. It’s possible to pick a project, read that section and ignore the rest of the book.
For photographers seeking inspiration, Lo-Fi Photo Fun has a lot to offer. However, for more detailed information on the processes, perhaps more technical photography books might be more useful for actually learning how to approach these projects.
This sounds great! Who doesn’t want a little help with photography now and then, especially when you’re on vacation? I love the bright and colorful cover!
~Sara
Yes! I love reading photography books for that reason. There’re so many ideas out there and it’s fun to try them out every now and then.
aaaaand i’m back from my holiday, which means the whole day has been spent replying to comments on my blog and returning the favour and MY FINGERS AND HANDS HURT. But hey, it’s the last little sprint and your blog is awesome so I CAN DO THIS.
I’ve not heard/seen this book before and as i’ve never shot with film before it doesn’t really impact my life in any way, HOWEVER, i do appreciate it greatly when photography books are laid out well, and i do actually own a film camera of my grandad’s (that i still have NO IDEA how to use but really want to learn) so this may end up in my hands sometime in the future!
Welcome back, Hawwa! ;)
I own my grandfather’s SLR as well! While I’ve figured out how to use it, the images aren’t all that crisp, so I prefer to stick to my DSLR. Although the photos shot on film with it do have a rather dreamy quality, so if I wanna achieve that effect, I’ll probably experiment with it again.
Learning about film is pretty useful for digital photography as well, since things like vision and framing, for example, don’t depend on the equipment but on the photographer :)